The 41st Chicago Latino Film Festival announced that of its 51 feature films, seven are World, eleven North American and five U.S. Premieres. The North American premieres include the previously announced Opening Night selection of Dear Gentlemen at the Davis Theatre, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave., on Thursday, April 3, and the Centerpiece presentation of Alberto Morais’ The Black Land starring Sergi López (Pan’s Labyrinth) at the Instituto Cervantes, 31 W. Ohio St., on Wednesday, April 9. The short film program, with its respective premieres, will be announced with the rest of the program in early March.
Featuring over 80 short and feature-length films from Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Spain, Portugal, and the United States, the 41st Chicago Latino Film Festival will run from April 3rd to April 14th. The already announced Opening and Closing Nights will be held at the Davis Theatre, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave. The Festival’s regular screenings will take place at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema, 2828 N. Clark St. Online tickets go on sale the first week of March when the full program will be unveiled.
The April 9 Centerpiece presentation of The Black Land at Cervantes starts at 6 pm with a pre-screening reception followed by the film at 7 pm and a post-screening Q&A with director Morais. Tickets for this event are: General, $30; seniors, students and ILCC members, $25
For more information visit chicagolatinofilmfestival.org.
ABOUT THE PREMIERES (IN ORDER BY COUNTRY)
World
- The Business Women’s Club/O Clube das Mulheres de Negócios (Brazil; Director: Anna Muylaert): From the director of The Second Mother and Don’t Call Me Son comes this dark social satire about patriarchy, sexism, classism and the nature of power with a unique twist. Jongo, a renowned photographer, and Cadinho, an inexperienced journalist, arrive at a decadent high society country club in São Paulo run by women, all with deep connections to the powers that be. All hell breaks loose when three jaguars escape from their enclosure inside the club, initiating a game of denial, lies, and attacks among its members that could end badly.
- Seeds/Semillas (Colombia; Director: Eliana Niño): In Eliana Niño’s poignant and charming feature debut, Shaira, a girl from the eastern plains of Colombia, dreams of participating in a coleo festival (an event similar to a rodeo). But after a recent drought severely damaged the crops, Shaira’s grandfather sells her horse without telling her. One day, he tells Shaira that the reason why some clouds take the shape of animals is that the sky traps them and won’t return them until it rains again. Shaira embarks on a journey to go in search of a special seed that will make the heavens rain again to bring her horse back.
- I Am My Grandma’s Daughter/Nieta de mi abuela (Dominican Republic; Director: Tatiana Fernández Geara): “Don’t end up alone like I did.” This plea from her grandmother Teresa before she passed away haunts Tatiana Fernández Geara. Filled with questions about what it means to “not end up alone,” the 40-year-old single documentary filmmaker explores her grandmother’s life: an imposing woman who owned an iconic movie theater, divorced three times, and challenged the Dominican norms of her era. The filmmaker embarks on a journey through family archives, old films and hundreds of letters, constructing —or trying to— a story about love, expectations and solitude.
- Damned Old People/Viejos malditos (Ecuador/Argentina; Director: Xavier Chávez C.): Elías, an 80-year-old recently widowed, harsh and grumpy old man, thinks life couldn’t get any worse. Isolated in a rural neighborhood with a large elderly population, the loss of his wife weighs heavy on him, as well as some financial difficulties brought on by her death, his tense relationship with his son and his own deteriorating health. Then there’s that grungy street cat who has decided to turn his nights—and the neighborhood’s—into an infernal symphony of meows. Full of acid humor, Xavier Chávez C.’s biting feature debut, is a deep, moving reflection about loneliness and human relationships.
- Crocodiles/Cocodrilos (Mexico/USA; Director: J. Xavier Velasco): According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 141 journalists and other media workers have been killed in Mexico this century, turning the country into the Western Hemisphere’s most dangerous for journalists. J. Xavier Velasco tackles the dangers faced by journalists with this story about a budding photojournalist from Veracruz, Santiago Ortiz (Hoze Meléndez), who becomes entangled in a dark plot after the assassination of his mentor, Amanda González (Teresa Sánchez) by organized crime. Ortiz takes on her final investigation, putting his own life on the line and testing the limits of his courage.
- Becoming Mayo/Un día de Mayo (Puerto Rico; director: Juan Esteban Suárez): As a young child, Mayo showed great promise as a painter; even his school teachers thought he could become one of Puerto Rico’s most important artists. Years later, Mayo is a much sought-out photographer, known for his urban style, his dreams as a painter left behind. A fortuitous encounter with Luna, a grade school teacher, and one of her students unconsciously triggers that dormant talent. They soon start dating but the traumatic memory of an incident that scarred Mayo may derail their relationship. Luna will have to act quickly to save Mayo from self-destructing.
- What Rhymes with Magdalena? (USA; director: José Pérez): Magdalena is a poet whose relationships have only ever ended in painful heartbreak. The night before a major decision, Magdalena is determined to break the pattern and tracks down her eight exes, desperate for closure. But reconnecting with them proves difficult as, one by one, they challenge Magdalena’s views in unexpected ways. Some offer advice, romance, and other outlets but nobody offers easy answers. As Magdalena’s future looms over her, she must face her self-destructive demons or end up in a life of solitude.
North American
- White House/Kasa Branca (Brazil; Director: Luciano Vidigal): Favelas have been traditionally depicted as dens of violence and criminality, its residents no more than innocent victims caught in the crossfire. Director Luciano Vidigal, himself a product of the favelas, is on a mission to change that insidious image and he succeeds in this crowdpleasing feature debut. “White House” tells the story of Dé (played by comedian, actor, director and YouTube personality Big Jaum), a black teenager who is the sole remaining caregiver for his grandmother, Almerinda, who is terminally ill with Alzheimer’s. In spite of the hardship, Dé, his two best friends, and the entire community find ways to make Almerinda’s final days full of joy and love.
- Bitter Gold/Oro amargo (Chile/Mexico/Uruguay/Germany; Director: Juan Olea): Sixteen-year-old Carola dreams of higher education and a house by the sea, but lives with Pacifico, her father, in the middle of the Atacama Desert. Together with a small group of miners, they exploit an artisanal mine to survive, although father and daughter secretly work on a vein of gold at night. But when a miner discovers their secret and violently breaks into the gold mine, they kill the intruder. With her father seriously wounded. Carola takes his place in the mine, facing the hostility of the miners and her own immaturity.
- History and Geography/Historia y geografía (Chile; Director: Bernardo Quesney): Gioconda Martínez, a once popular television comedian, returns to her hometown to stage a play about the Spanish conquest of Chile in hopes of a major comeback as a dramatic actress. Gioconda will have to wage battle on several fronts: professional actors versus amateurs, city against small town, low versus high art. Not to mention dealing with the thorny issue of Chile’s national identity and the legacy of imperialism. Quesney spares no one in this brilliant politically incorrect satire.
- Delirio (Costa Rica/Chile; Director: Alexandra Latishev Salazar): Shot with a mostly female crew, Alexandra Latishev Salazar’s sophomore feature uses horror tropes to explore the psychological effects of physical abuse. Eleven-year-old Masha and her mother Elisa move to her demented grandmother’s house to take care of her. The family acts as if Masha’s father is dead, something Masha actively denies. When Elisa feels a threatening presence around the house she cuts Marsha off from the outside world to protect her.
- Aire. Just Breathe/Aire (Dominican Republic; Director: Leticia Tonos Paniagua): The year: 2147. As a result of a devastating chemical war, men worldwide have been rendered sterile. For the past ten years, Tania, a conservation biologist, has been working in finding a way to prevent the extinction of her species with the help of VIDA, an Artificial Intelligence system (voiced by Paz Vega). Their symbiotic relationship is disrupted with the arrival of Azarias, a traveler with a dark past. With its minimalist production design and narrative focus on ideas, Torres Paniagua’s new film (selected to represent the Dominican Republic for the Academy Award for Best International Feature) follows in the footsteps of such equally idea-driven science-fiction films as “THX 1138” and “Silent Running.”
- Tetanus/Tétano (Mexico; Director: Rafael Aparicio): María, Pablo and Juanito live in an orphanage that is about to be shut down. The news couldn’t come at a worse time for Juanito, who has just been diagnosed with a heart disease. Don Lucho, the owner of the local seafood restaurant, tells the three friends about “Tetanus”, an old racing car that won every single prize until Chácharas, its driver and owner, threw in the towel and stopped competing in races. The trio, in an effort to raise funds to help Juanito pay for an operation, embark on a mission to convince Chácharas to take “Tetanus” for one last ride.
- Quadrilateral/Cuadrilátero (Peru; Director: Daniel Rodríguez Risco): You know that old saying that “the family who plays together stays together” (although it originally was “the family that prays together…”)? Daniel Rodríguez Risco turns that saying upside down in his latest film, the story of a tight knit family that consists of mother Adriana, husband Alfredo, and their children, Lucia and Felipe. A strong believer that the family unit should consist of only four people, Adriana runs the family with military precision…until she gives birth to Tomás. What happens when you throw the ultimate dysfunctional family into a Survivor-like environment?
- Clear Nights/Noites claras (Portugal; Director: Paulo Filipe Monteiro): Clear Nights tells, mostly through body movement and dance, the story of two siblings trying to rediscover themselves as they confront their problems head-on. Lidia struggles with post-partum depression: she can’t handle the expectations of raising a newborn, doesn’t recognize her body, and distances herself from home and boyfriend. Divorced with a son, her brother Lauro, who works in a funeral agency, grapples with accepting his bisexuality. Though the siblings rarely see each other, together they try to come to terms with this new chapter in their lives.
- Water Strike/Golpe de agua (Puerto Rico; Director: Carla Cavina): Winner of Best Documentary at the 2024 Puerto Rico Film Festival, Carla Cavina’s new film (her first feature, the drama Extraterrestrials, was an official selection of the 33rd Chicago Latino Film Festival) is an existential documentary that reflects on the vision of “progress” that governments cling to in times of climate change. Focusing on the personal and collective experience lived in Puerto Rico after the devastating passage of Hurricane Maria in 2017, the documentary opens a window to the past to visualize the future.
- The Black Land (Spain/Panama; Director: Alberto Morais): After a long absence from her hometown, María returns to work with her brother Ángel in the family business, the town’s industrial mill. In need of an extra pair of hands, Ángel hires Miquel (Sergi López), a man as taciturn as María. The locals are suspicious of Miquel, in part because he was in prison but also because there seems to be something strange about him. María and Miquel understand each other, an understanding that will have serious consequences for those who speak behind their backs.
- Shipwrecks/Naufragios (Uruguay/Argentina; Director: Vanina Spataro): Heartbroken, angry and seeking comfort, Maite arrives at an out-of-season coastal town, where the few residents live out their lonely lives. Each person waits resignedly for someone to come and rescue them. Maite surrenders herself to this ebb-and-flow, until an unconscious sailor washes up on the beach one day, prompting her to decide whether to move forward and create a new life or remain stranded on those shores. Spataro’s feature debut explores, with humor and tenderness, the emotional anguish, longings and wounds of characters that find themselves in a state of suspension.
United States
- Horizonte (Colombia/France/Luxembourg/Chile/Germany; Director: César Augusto Acevedo: The mountains and hills of Colombia are literally haunted by the spirits of those killed during the country’s decades-long civil war and its perpetrators. Basilio (Claudio Cataño, best known for his performance as Coronel Aureliano Buendía in the Netflix mini-series adaptation of 100 Years of Solitude) and his mother Inés (Paulina García) meet in the afterlife to search for their missing father/husband. On their journey, they run into the hundreds of people that Basilio, as a member of Colombia’s armed forces, killed and betrayed. Will he find redemption in this purgatory?
- Beloved Tropic/Querido trópico (Panama/Colombia; Director: Ana Endara): Set in Panama City, this delicate and atmospheric drama explores the evolving relationship between two dissimilar lonely souls. Ana María, an undocumented Colombian immigrant (Jenny Navarrete), crosses paths with Mercedes, a wealthy woman (Paulina García) who is grappling with encroaching dementia. As their lives intertwine, they embark on a journey of mutual discovery and support, delving into the complexities of mother-daughter relationships. Together, they navigate the challenges of caregiving and the profound need for connection, learning to survive and care for one another amid their personal struggles.
- Once Upon a Time in the Andes/Érase una vez en los Andes (Peru; Director: Rómulo Sulca): The Peruvian Andes, during the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) between Chile, Bolivia and Perú. Margarita, a shepherdess, finds Lautaro, a dying Chilean soldier who has managed to flee from a battle. She decides to take him to her home and care for him. When her father finds out, he agrees to hide Lautaro, with the only condition that he must leave once he recovers. Over time, and despite their linguistic differences, the shepherdess and the soldier develop an intimate relationship.
- Bella (Puerto Rico; Director: Bruno Irizarry): Artists Carlos and Marena are weathering the COVID crisis by isolating in their two-floor countryside home. They dream of building a pool but, most importantly, of being parents. They have tried to conceive through every method known to science and available to them. There are some health scares and obstacles along the way but they won’t be stopped. But biology is not on their side so they team up with a lawyer who specializes in matching parents with unwanted pregnancies, embarking on an emotional journey full of surprises.
